Blue Index - UK Market and Share Analysis

BlueIndex

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Smith & Nephew is not the easiest stock to trade at certain times, with its tendency to revert back into trading ranges having given a false breakout. There are times however when the trend looks rather more solid, and we have one of those now. In recent days, the shares have seen a succession of white candles on excellent supporting buying volume, and we can now see a move towards the next area of importance around 690p. Stops should be placed at 575p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid. More info on Smith & Nephew buy recommendation can be found HERE

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FX & Commodity ideas

FX

It has been a long time coming, but it would appear that the dollar’s two and a half year bear market against the euro is now over as the spill out from falling US growth expectations reaches Europe. It is actually worth plotting the longer term monthly chart, as the scale of the most recent move stands out quite clearly.

Although the tone of policy statements from ECB officials has edged back from the almost uniform hawkish stance in recent months, it was only last week when ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet warned that the euro zone economy was facing tough times, and this confirmed that the rest of the world was not immune to the economic pain being endured in the US. Given the barrage of downbeat economic statistics, it is clear that any hopes of monetary tightening have now vanished in Europe

COMMODITIES

We have warned on and off in recent months that gold might need to clear out some of the prevailing bullishness in the market by breaking below the important $850 area, and after much indecision it has finally happened. For a change it’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation, with both base and precious metals falling together with a stronger dollar for the reasons noted above, so it is not just a question of inverse correlation this time round

There are more our thoughts on FX & Commodities today at the link here
 
Financial concerns return as credit crunch writeoffs increase

A bout of profit taking hit Wall Street as worries about the financial sector resurfaced with JP Morgan down over 9% after it said around $1.5bn in mortgage backed securities could be written off in Q3. Bank of America and Citigroup both lost about 7% each, while Wachovia fell sharply after it revised its quarterly deficit downward to account for the costs of a possible legal settlement. Elsewhere in the sector, UBS unveiled plans to separate its three business divisions after reporting a fourth straight quarterly loss on larger than expected writedowns of $5.1bn. In other news, TJX reported a rise in quarterly profit as weaker consumer confidence sent shoppers flocking to the discount fashion and homeware retailer. On the economic front, the US trade deficit narrowed to a less than expected $56.8bn in June thanks to a weaker dollar which helped boost exports. This compared to a revised $59.2bn shortfall in May, according to data published by the Commerce Department.

In London, shares edged back on a quieter day as downbeat miners and banking stocks offset good news elsewhere. ENRC and Kazakhmys were among the mining stocks following metals prices lower. Standard Chartered was a faller after Citigroup downgraded it from 'hold' to 'sell'. Thomson Reuters fell after it reported an 11% rise in revenue for the quarter to $3.4bn, less than the 12% increase seen during the previous three-month period. At the top end, ITV led the risers, helped by continued bid talk, and InterContinental Hotels also rose, helped by a 29% rise in H1 operating profits to $284m, in line with forecasts. Retailers were under pressure again after retail sales fell again in July, making it four down months out of five now, according to the British Retail Consortium. A separate report revealed that inflation was more than double the government’s 2% target after soaring to 4.4% last month on further increases in the cost of food and high fuel prices.

Technically, we have now seen sharp rallies on the back of the smart money which has recently been buying into the major equity markets, so the short term trend remains bullish. On the Dow Jones Index, we are now around the important 11700 area which has repelled it a couple of times, so it could be a more mixed week. The Footsie is lagging and this is because of sector variance, with weakness in oil and mining stocks impacting with their heavy weighting, so index players might not do as well as pure stock pickers, for which there are opportunities in both directions. Overall, we are still bullish on equities for a rally of a few weeks, but the bigger picture suggests more downside to come.The Bank of England will downgrade its forecast for growth in the British economy and warn that inflation is set to continue to rise, reports the Independent. The FT adds that UK inflation rose to 4.4% in July, its highest since the early 1990s and more than double the government’s target, as economists predicted a further rise to 5% in the autumn.

Senior executives at UBS knew some of their bankers had acted in a way that meant they risked breaching US securities laws at least a year before the US inquiries began, a letter seen by the Financial Times shows.

JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, the two Wall Street banks seen as least affected by the credit crisis, suffered setbacks yesterday. JPM admitted it took a $1.5bn writedown on mortgage-backed assets in July, raising questions about its financial performance in Q3. GS was hit by a number of profit downgrades on fears that it could be heading for one of its worst quarters since going public in 1999, reports the Telegraph.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia states that it is pulling out of talks with Royal Bank of Scotland to buy ABN AMRO Australia.

Results: Thomas Cook is on track to meet expectations for the current financial year, with trading strong and early winter indications ahead of last year, and states that it is 92% hedged for oil for 2008-09.

Interserve announces H1 pre-tax profit of £33.7m and stays confident that it is well placed to maintain its progress.

Micro Focus reports a solid Q1 and confirms its targets for double digit organic revenue growth.

British Energy reports adjusted EBITDA of £129m, from £253m last year and it is continuing discussions in respect of a potential transaction.

Balfour Beatty announces H1 pre-tax profit of £95m from £76m and anticipates that trading and order intake performance will stay strong through H2.

The full Morning Rundown report can be read here

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Bout of profit taking hits Footsie early on

The short term near trend of recent days took a breather today as profit takers moved in and there was some sector rotation in London with banks and retailers leading the fallers. Barclays, HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland were all down sharply after news from the US yesterday that the second phase of the credit crunch is leading to another round of writeoffs. Consumer were already weak but fell again after figures showed UK unemployment growing at its fastest rate for over fifteen years. Enterprise Inns, Marks & Spencer and Kingfisher were among the fallers mid-morning. For a change the miners and oil stocks led the way, after a rebound in commodity prices overnight.

In results, Thomas Cook released another positive statement, saying it was doing well with current trading continuing to be strong. Early indicators showed it was ahead of last year for Winter 08/09 and Summer 09 bookings, but there was a slightly cautionary note to the rest of the statement and the shares fell almost 5%. We share that caution and would not look to be buying these just yet.

British Energy, currently in the throes of a bid, said its underlying profit nearly halved to £129m, from £253m, in Q1. It blamed this on lower output and higher costs incurred in respect of the BCU modifications, but added that its Heysham 1 Reactor 1 was close to a return to service. The shares have edged up and we would stay with them pending the outcome of the current takeover battle
 
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Sell Intercontinental Hotels (IHG)

Intercontinental Hotels has been on the radar for some time now, with the shares showing an overall downtrend for the last year or so. The action following the results yesterday now provides a good set up for short positions, with a major spike high on big volume followed by further selling this morning. This looks to have reasserted the short term downtrend and we can now see a move towards 650p, the last low of note. Stops should be placed at 820p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid.

Latest Significant Fundamentals

On 12th August, Intercontinental Hotels said H1 operating profit rose 29.1% although growth in H2 slowed. Operating profit for the six months ended 30th June 2008 rose to $284m while total revenue for the period increased 10.9% to $974m, and pre-tax profit fell 9.6% to $232m. Q2 growth slowed, as RevPAR growth, a key measure, increased by 4% during the six-month period, but July's RevPAR growth dropped to 3.4% as growth in the US slowed to 1.5%. The group said that market conditions had become more challenging, particularly in the US.

Blue Index :|
 
Sell Ladbrokes (LAD)

Technicals

STOCK Ladbrokes (LAD)
TARGET 218p
STOP 255p

There were signs of a fledgling recovery at Ladbrokes recently after a severe bear market, but that has evaporated as the shares have now completed a lower high below the falling 200 day moving average. There has also been very little buying volume of note and we can see another leg down from here, with an initial target of 218p, close to the most recent spike low. Stops should be placed at 255p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid.

Latest Significant Fundamentals

On 7th August, Ladbrokes reported a drop in H1 pre-tax profit but said it remained on track to meet full year expectations. Pre-tax profit fell to £126.7m in the six months to 30th June from £154.4m last time as high-roller customers contributed only £40m compared with £60m previously. In addition, June suffered a string of poor results, most notably Royal Ascot and the early stages of Euro 2008. Gross win for the period from 1st July to 5th August was however up 11% (excluding high rollers) and up 6% in UK retail. It added that it remained on track to meet its full year expectations.

It should be noted that this information is not advice, but simply an opinion expressed by a professional trader

Blue Index :|
 
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Miners surge up to give Footsie a big push

The highlight of the morning so far has been a big gap up in the leading mining stocks after commodity prices saw a sharp recovery, and by mid-morning BHP Billiton, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto were all up over 5%. There were also some impressive moves elsewhere, and a highlight was Logica which shot up 12% after it raised its full-year revenue growth forecast and reported a 31% jump in adjusted operating profits in H1. These sorts of occurrences are rare and this confirms the bullish trend here.

TUI Travel was also slightly ahead after it announced a 39% rise in underlying operating profit in Q3, and said it was confident that its expectations for 2008 and 2009 could be achieved. Like Thomas Cook yesterday, we do not doubt the management quality here but it could be a tough rise for consumer stocks for some months yet.

Elsewhere, British Land reported an underlying pre-tax profit of £74m for Q1, down from £76m a year ago, but an IFRS loss of £572m versus a £266m profit in 2007. It said that the portfolio valuation was down 5% this quarter, while nav dropped 10% to 1,212p a share, and it is hard to see these shares progressing short term. Bellway said it sold 6,556 home in the twelve months to July, 14% less than the year before. It added that it did not expect widespread land write downs, but the position was being monitored in light of market conditions. With reservations down by around 45% in H2, and a lower group order book for future sales, this looks another stock that could soon come under severe pressure again

Blue Index :|
 
BlueIndex dont tell me the company put you up to open a forum account LoL

This is insider trading if you actualy work there... be careful
 
Morning Rundown

Market and Share News

A better day on Wall Street saw financials rise after the Securities and Financial Markets Association said that newly originated loans to borrowers in high cost areas would qualify for incorporation into To-Be-Announced eligible mortgage-backed securities, and this lifted Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The news outweighed consumer inflation data that showed prices rose twice as fast as anticipated in July. Lower oil prices also encouraged buyers with crude down by $1 to $115. Mortgage insurer PMI Group rallied after it agreed to sell its Australian and Asian businesses to QBE Insurance for about $896m, and peer MGIC rose in sympathy. Wal-Mart delivering better than expected figures, with net sales in the quarter to end-July at $101.6bn compared with $92bn over the same period a year ago, but the market was not that impressed. Estee Lauder did rather better after it reported a 36% increase in Q4 net income. General Motors rose after it said a larger proportion of its anticipated $10bn in cost savings may come through this year rather than next. On the downside, NetApp fell after downgrading Q2 earnings guidance.

There was a good rally towards the close in London but oils and miners were still the pick on the back of earlier rising commodity prices. Antofagasta was the star performer, though Anglo American, Kazakhmys and ENRC were not far behind. TUI Travel delivered a 39% rise in underlying operating profit in Q3, and said it was confident that its expectations for 2008 and 2009 could be achieved. British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia agreed to form a transatlantic joint venture, confirming press speculation that an announcement was imminent. Banks were lower after Goldman Sachs said Barclays may need to write down another £1.5bn over the next year and a half and suggested the dividend may be under threat. Logica was higher after it raised its full year revenue growth forecast and reported a 31% jump in operating profits in the H1.

Technically, we have now seen sharp rallies on the back of the smart money which has recently been buying into the major equity markets, so the short term trend remains bullish. On the Dow Jones Index, we are now around the important 11700 area which has repelled it a couple of times, so it could be a more mixed week. The Footsie is lagging and this is because of sector variance, with weakness in oil and mining stocks impacting with their heavy weighting, so index players might not do as well as pure stock pickers, for which there are opportunities in both directions. Overall, we are still bullish on equities for a rally of a few weeks, but the bigger picture suggests more downside to come.

In the press, Asda and Tesco have vowed to cut millions of pounds from customers’ shopping bills this weekend, with the former saying that it was slashing the price of a two-pint bottle of milk from 80p to 50p - its lowest price since 2001, reports the Times. Meanwhile, Tesco is set to open an office in Chicago ahead of launching Fresh & Easy convenience stores there, as it seeks to expand its convenience store chain beyond the west coast, reports the Independent.

Willie Walsh, the boss of British Airways has accused Sir Richard Branson of sounding like a cracked record over his continuing opposition to the proposed transatlantic tie-up with American Airlines. BA yesterday unveiled its third attempt to seek anti-trust immunity for a jv with AA, this time adding Iberia into the mix, reports the Telegraph.

BP says it is to appeal against the ruling by a Russian court banning the CE of TNK- BP, Robert Dudley, from working in the country for two years, reports the Telegraph.

Merrill Lynch is unlikely to pay corporation tax in the UK for several decades after $29bn of losses it suffered were charged to its London-based subsidiary, reports the FT.

Oil demand in Western countries is set for its biggest fall in 25 years as the global economic slowdown intensifies and consumers respond to high prices, reports the Times.

British Land has delayed the development of its iconic City of London tower known as the "Cheesegrater" until at least 2012 as it announced a 10% fall in its net asset value in three months, writes the Telegraph.

Former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan has hit out at the US government's handling of its bail-out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He strongly believes that the Fed should have nationalised the institutions when they had the chance, reports the Telegraph.

The eurozone has moved closer to recession after it emerged that the economy contracted in Q2 for the first time since the launch of the euro, reports the FT.

Bradford & Bingley’s £400m rights issue is due to close today with a large percentage expected to end up with the underwriters.

Results:

Readymix states that the tough trading conditions from the end of 2007 have continued, with total revenues down 9.4%.

Chrysalis states that trading has been in line with expectations.

The FTSE 100 index is set to open around 10 points up this morning.

Diary: 12:30 US August NY Fed manufacturing, -3.0 exp.
13:15 US July capacity usage, 79.8% exp.
13:15 US July industrial production, 0.1% exp.
13:45 US August preliminary Michigan, 73.8 exp.

Blue Index :|
 
Buy Logica

Technicals

Logica is another stock that has suffered from a long-term bear market, but we’ve seen signs of base building in recent months with a broad triple bottom between 85p and 95p. Yesterday’s action blew away the current trading range on the biggest volume this year and we now have what looks like a clear uptrend. The initial target is 133p, just above the May spike high, but we can see an eventual move towards the major congestion area around 150p. Stops should be placed at 113p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid

Latest significant fundamentals

On 14th August, Logica raised its full-year revenue growth forecast after it reported a 31% jump in adjusted operating profits in H1. Adjusted operating profit rose to £118m in the six months ended 30th June from £90m last time on revenue 6% higher at £1.77bn, although pre-tax profit more than halved to £13m from £29m last time. The group said it had a good H1, and growing momentum with customers led to revenue growth above the market in all its major geographies. Given the market environment, it remained alert to changes in customer sentiment but the H1 performance gave it increased confidence that 2008 pro forma revenue growth would be closer to 4%, compared to previous guidance of around 3%.

It should be noted that this information is not advice, but simply an opinion expressed by a professional trader

Blue Index :|
 
Morning Rundown

Market and Share News

A quiet end to the week saw US stocks edge up, helped by the strong dollar and falls in commodity prices. Oil prices continued to slide, with crude below $114 a barrel on concerns about falling demand. Travel and auto companies rallied, as did Wal-Mart, but Exxon Mobil and Chevron slipped. In economic news, there was a rise in the Empire State Manufacturing report for August, which rose 2.8 following last month’s 4.9 slip. Meanwhile, industrial production increased 0.2% in July compared to a revised 0.4% rise the previous month, according to the Federal Reserve.

JC Penney's Q2 sales and profits fell sharply with it adding the next three months would be even tougher. Ambac Financial and MBIA led the financials higher after S&P affirmed AA ratings and removed the immediate likelihood of further downgrades. Lehman Bros rose on news that George Soros revealed a stake of 9.5m shares, up from 10,000 three months ago.

Lower commodity prices hit UK mining stocks which pushed the FTSE 100 index lower despite gains elsewhere. Kazakhmys, Eurasian Natural Resources, Anglo American, Xstrata, Vedanta and Antofagasta lost value as metals prices slipped. Tullow Oil tracked the oil price lower, but British Airways and Carnival advanced for the same reason. InterContinental Hotels Group was hit by a downgrade from Morgan Stanley, which reduced its rating on the Holiday Inn owner to ‘underweight’ from ‘equal-weight’. On the upside, retailers rose on an upbeat trading statement from John Lewis Group. Next Group and Marks & Spencer were the pick of the sector, while Kesa performed well among the second-liners. The dollar’s rise against sterling prompted JP Morgan to raise its target price on Smith and Nephew to 610p from 585p.

Technically, it has all gone quiet as is expected at this time of the year, but the short term trends still look gently bullish on the back of the smart money which has been buying into major equity markets. On the Dow Jones Index, we are still around the important 11700 area which has repelled it a couple of times, and it could be another mixed week. The Footsie is lagging because of sector variance, with weakness in oil and mining stocks impacting with their heavy weighting, so index players might not do as well as pure stock pickers, for which there are opportunities in both directions. Overall, we are still bullish on equities for a rally of another week, but the bigger picture suggests more downside to come.

In the press, rival bidders, including Impala Platinum, are exploring ways to challenge Xstrata's takeover bid for Lonmin. Sources say the company has received at least two expressions of interest in addition to Xstrata's bid, says the Sunday Telegraph.

Malcolm Walker, founder of Iceland frozen foods, has made a bid approach for Woolworths in a move that would see him return to the company that fired him 37 years ago, reports the Sunday Telegraph.

Bradford & Bingley is poised to appoint Richard Pym, former boss of Alliance & Leicester, as its new CE, writes the Sunday Times.

RBS is on the cusp of abandoning the auction of Direct Line and Churchill after raising £6bn through the sale of risky loans, says the Sunday Times.

Sir Richard Branson is demanding talks with US and EU regulators to protest against BA's proposed tie-up with American Airlines and Iberia, says the Independent on Sunday. Meanwhile, the break-up of BAA will move a step closer when the CC recommends selling key assets, says the Independent on Sunday. The Sunday Times adds that infrastructure groups have approached BAA with offers to buy Gatwick for up to £3bn.

Sir Martin Sorrell, CE of WPP, is expected to set out his stall for a takeover of Taylor Nelson Sofres, as it posts what is forecast to be a slump in interim results when it reports on Friday, says the Independent on Sunday.

Soaring food, rent and petrol bills mean that the average UK householder could face annual retail inflation of 7%, according to a new report by the Chelsea Building Society, says the Independent on Sunday.

Inflation could drop to below 1% next year as the slump in oil prices and the weight of the economic downturn drag price rises into negative territory, it has been warned, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Short-sellers have staked more than £325m on Persimmon's stock falling ahead of its half-year results, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

India has shrugged off the global credit crunch with a rash of acquisitions of foreign firms over the past six months, research by accountants KPMG has showed, says the Independent on Sunday.

Australian press suggests that Commonwealth Bank of Australia may offer around $5.2bn for the Australian BankWest unit of HBOS.

Results: Hiscox reports pre-tax profit of £109.2m, from £105.6m on gross written premiums of £639m from £733m.

Michael Page announces pre-tax profit of £84.1m, with revenues up to £500m and stays optimistic on growth prospects but does state its growth rates slowed in H1 as some of its markets deteriorated.

BHP Billiton is scheduled to reported preliminary full year numbers today with profits seen up around 19% to $16.33bn.

The FTSE 100 index is set to open around 10 points up this morning.

Diary: 09:00 Eurozone June foreign trade, €1.2bn exp.
17:00 US August NAHB, 16.0 exp.

Blue Index :|
 
Sell KESA Electricals

Technicals

Like many retailers, Kesa Electricals has been in a long term downtrend, but recently the share price sparked into life and we saw a decent rally from the July lows. The share has failed to make any headway past a more recent spike high of note, and have turned down again giving another lower high beneath the 200 day moving average. This suggests a further downside leg to come, and the initial target is 140p, where there is a spike low from three weeks ago. Stops should be placed at 166p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid

Latest significant fundamentals

On 24th June, Kesa Electricals posted a small rise in underlying profits last year but cautioned that conditions were getting tougher as consumers felt the pinch. On a comparable basis, operating profits rose by 3.1% to £141.3 in the year to April. Pre-tax profits rose slightly to £128.8m from £126.5m on revenues up from £3.96bn to £4.51bn, but fell from £133m to £128m including the change of year end and figures from the now sold BUT chain. It said that the group delivered solid revenue and profit growth in overall positive market conditions, although these weakened over the last six and anticipated further difficult trading conditions ahead

It should be noted that this information is not advice, but simply an opinion expressed by a professional trader

Blue Index :|
 
Rise in oil prices hits travel related shares

Oil prices turned positive yesterday despite a rise in US inventories, and remain solid today, consequently hitting airline and travel stocks. Thomas Cook, TUI Travel, British Airways and Carnival are among the main fallers, whereas commodity stocks dominate the leader board after a good performance yesterday. Tullow Oil is up 5% and the major miners are enjoying a second day of rallies.

Eurasian Natural Resources is up 4% after it posted a strong set of half-year figures and said it expected higher commodity prices to hold despite macroeconomic uncertainties. We have been bearish on the sector for some months, but it now looks as though a clear turning point has been seen, so the bulls should now hold sway for a while.

In the housebuilders, investors eagerly awaited results from Persimmon, and there was a defiant statement for the bears who had heavily shorted the stock recently. The group said that the business had performed well in very difficult conditions, and was confident that having been restructured, it was in a strong position to move forward whenever the market improved. Although pre-tax profit collapsed 87% in the first six months of 2008 from £281.1m to £36.9m and the dividend was cut to a token 5p, the feeling in some quarters is that the worst may be over in the short term. Our view is that anyone buying these shares at the moment is taking a big gamble, and we look for another opportunity to go short here

Blue Index :|
 
Sell Aviva

Technicals

Insurance stocks may not have been in the headlines as much as the banks but they are highly volatile with plenty of clear trends so far this year. In the case of Aviva, the shares have now made a clear lower high below the falling 200 day moving average and are starting to underperform the wider market again. After a short term trend change to the downside, we can see a move towards the July spike low around 460p. Stops should be placed at 514p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid

Latest Significant Fundamentals

On 30th July, Aviva posted a 12% rise in half year profit and said it remained confident about the group's future prospects. It also announced that it would make a £1bn offer to eligible policyholders to reattribute surplus money in the funds over the years, known as the inherited estate. Operating profit on a European embedded value basis rose to £1.7bn in the six months ended 30th June from £1.54bn before as the strong euro helped to offset weakness in the financial markets. Sales at the group's key life and pensions rose 11% to £17.3bn at increased margin. Its general insurance unit saw a 4% drop in operating profit, although UK profit rose 15%, and its combined operating ratio target was at 97%.

It should be noted that this information is not advice, but simply an opinion expressed by a professional trader

Blue Index :|
 
This analyst seems to be the same kinda stuff that Accendo markets used to send me. There report used to consist of some dodgy amateur chart, a copy and paste of some fundamentals and some flaky TA chunk neatly enclosed in a PDF file.

The thing was they always seemed to tell you to buy/sell when most of the action had already taken place.

Av. currently at 505p. 10p more and the stop goes - ohh dear...and a bullish engulfing too..

Im long Aviva btw ..600p here we come!
 
Looks like this call is going to wrong again. Stop close to being taken out.

Feel sorry for Blueindex customers to be honest, if this is the kinda stuff they are recieving.

This 'advice' I guess was sent out on the 21st - which also happened to be the last spike lower before another bullish engulfing, which suggest a reversal of the trend.

Dunno who does the analyst for BI, but this trade was crap, it was way to late and all the juice had already been taken out. Now its close to having your customers getting stopped out.

What would have been better was to say hmmm look double top at 174ish. Lets advise to go short there with a stop at say 189p. But NO! They decide to advise when its already pulled back some 25p and is also on its lower trend line!! LOL!! this is brilliant TA - keep it coming, i'll just do the opposite to what you say!
 
The lowest it got was 214p before bouncing. its now at 229p. Ohhh dear. Still in a downtrend so we will have to wait and see on this one though.

But just cos BI advised on it I'd say they called the bottom and its gonna go all the way up to 255p!!
 
BUY SSL INTERNATIONAL

Technicals

Shares in SSL International generated some excitement last year, but most of the action in the last six months or so has been spent in a trading range. We are though now seeing some interesting action, with a pick up in performance against the wider market and signs of increased underlying buying volume. Last Friday saw a decent gap up on good volume, and this has been held so far, suggesting higher prices, with an initial target of 495p, where there is some intermediate resistance. Stops should be placed at 435p, which should not be hit if the trend is valid.

Latest Significant Fundamentals

On 24th July, SSL International said that trading in Q1 was in line with the board's expectations, and it had seen good underlying revenue growth in the period with continuing benefit of the sterling/euro exchange rates. Gross margin was being maintained despite input cost inflation and it expected at least a constant gross margin on a full year basis. It said its recent investments were performing well and results to date were fully consistent with the achievement of its publicly expressed double digit operating profit growth target for the year. Its global brands, Durex and Scholl, continued to make good progress, driving it towards its target of growing operating profit by at least 10% again this year.

Blue Index
 
SELL ETI

Technicals

It has been a long bear market for Enterprise Inns, and though there was one period of excitement in May when the shares threatened to break above the 200 day moving average, the downtrend remains intact. In recent weeks we have seen another bout of underperformance, and selling volume has also picked up. It looks a good time to revisit shorts and the initial target is a retest of the July lows at 286p. Stops should be placed at 330p which should not be hit if the trend is valid.

Latest Significant Fundamentals

On 22nd July, Enterprise Inns warned that continuing declines in on-trade beer volumes, together with increased levels of assistance to struggling licensees had put pressure on earnings. It said that in the first half of the year the additional costs of its Business Recovery Scheme amounted to more than £3.5m, a level that had increased in H2. Its cash flows however remained strong, providing adequate funds for investment and the reduction of borrowings as required. It said that over the past 42 weeks, it had disposed of 45 pubs and plots of surplus land for a total consideration of £25m, realising a small net profit over book value, and the pub estate was likely to show a modest valuation uplift at 30th September 2008. Progress had also been made with Revenue and Customs on conversion into a REIT and it was now in a position to seek the necessary approvals required from its various stakeholders
 
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